Tap-splitting machine



Nov. 3, 1925.

1,560,027 J. F. DONNELLY TAP SPLITTING MACHINE Filed March 5, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet J.

J. F. DONNELII Y TAP SPLITTING MACHINE Nov, 3, 1925- Filed March 5, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 2 inventor: a I

Nov. 3,1925.

J. F. DONNELLY TAP SPLITTING MACHINE Filed March 5, 1925 s Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Nov. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES JOHN F. DONNELLY, OF BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

COMPANY,

ASSIGNOR TO PANCO RUBBER OF CHELSEA, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

'rnr-srmrrrnc MACHINE.

Application filed March 3, 1925. Serial No. 12,9?8.

T all whom it may concern 7 Be it known that I, JOHN F. DoN InLLY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and- The present invention relates to an improvement in tap-splitting machines.

. The object of the invention is to produce 16 a machine for splitting a tap sheet blank of rubber compound transversely of the shank of the tap, parallel to the opposite surfaces thereof, for the purpose of inserting a piece of reinforcing material before the tap is vulcanized. The invention consists in the machine hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating the preferred form of the invention, Fig.

26 1 is a front elevation; Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation; Fig. 3 is a plan; and

Fig. 4 is a detail hereinafter referred to.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention is'described as followsrThe knife K is a disk knife supported to rotate on a vertical axis. The tap'blanks T are fed edgewise to the knife by feedin means, which presents the edge of the tap lank to the edge of the knife in proper position to permit the knife to slit the shank edge of the tap blank. Suitable gau es are provided to assist the operator in t e presentation of the blanks to the machine.

In detail the construction is as follows: The machine is provided with a suitable bed 10, adapted to stand on a table. This bed 10 carries all the various parts of the machine. The knife K is mounted on a knife shaft 11, which is received in a bearing bushing 12, screw-threaded exteriorly and received in a threaded 0 ening in'the lmife carrier frame 13. The sliaft is provided with a fixed collar 14, which bears against the washer 15, which, in turn, engages thelower end of the bearing sleeve 12. The upper end of the bearing sleeve 12 is provided with a spaer collar 16, by means of which the bearing sleeve 12 may be adjusted vertically in the frame 13, and when the correct adjustment is secured the clamp'bolt 17 is'screwed up 'tion. Threaded the knife.

the pillow-block 42, and adjusting screws 45 and the bearing sleeve is held in fixed posi- 1 on the knife shaft are two spanner collars 18,- the lower one of whichengages the washer 19, whichin turn engages the upper surface of the bearing sleeve 12. The collars 18 may be adjusted to hold the knife shaft in fixed Vertical position. The knife shaft 11 is also provided with a pulley 20, and the frame 13 is rovided with an additional bearing 21011 t e upper end of the knife shaft. The frame 13 is provided with a bearing bracket 22, which carries a'shaft 23, which, upon its ends, hasv two pulleys 24. .A belt running from a suitable shaft or motor descends, to one of the pulleys 24, passes around it, takes a quarter turn, thencepasses' around the knife pulley 20, and back to the other pulley 24, and thence to the source of power for driving The knife frame 13 is mounted on the knife frame base 25, being secured thereto by four bolts 26. The knife frame base 25 is supported upon four bosses 27, which arecarried by a frame 28 squarein horizontal crosssect1on, secured tothe base 10 by means of bolts 30. Four cap bolts 31 are employed to secure the knife frame base to these bosses 27. This affords a'rigid support for the. knife frame base on the base 10 of the machine. The frame 28 has-a bracket boss 32 on its front side, to which'the bracket 33 is bolted by means of the bolts. 34. To this bracket 33 is secured the travelling. belt su port 35, upon which the belt .B rests; e belt B is carried by two pulleys 36 and 37. The pulley 37 is mounted on a shaft 38 carried by the pillow-blocks. 39 and 40 bolted to the base 10 of the machine. The ulle 36 is mounted on the shaft 41 carried y t e pillow-blocks 42 and 43. These pillow-blocks are adapted to be adjusted longitudinall of the belt in order to keep the belt taut t us, adjusting screws 44 adjust the position. of

adjust the osition of'the pillow-block .43. Securing b0 ts 46 and 47 are employed. to secure the pillow-blocks after they'have been adjusted to the correct position. The shaft 38 carries the sprocket wheel 49,. which is connected by-means of the sprocket chainv 50 to the sprocket wheel 51 on the shaft 52, supported in the pillow-block 53. This shaft 52 carries a gear 54 which meshes with a. p n l m un ed on the shaft 56 supported and rear hearings in the frame 28.

in the bearings in the pillow-block 57 and such shaft 56 also carries the tightand loose pulleys 58, by which the feeding means of the machine are driven.

The taps are fed by belt and rollfeeding means described as follows: The belt B is an important element of the feeding means already referred to, and it moves in the direction of the arrow 59, shown in Fig. 1, over the belt supporting table 35, and upon the belt arecarried the tap blanks T to the knife. At the entering end of the table 35 the tap is directly supported by a bottom feed roll 60, mounted on the shaft 61 supported in a front bearing in a bracket 62 This roll 60 is provided with short projecting pins engaging the tap blank on the under side, and it is rotated by power, as herein-' before described, to contribute tothe feeding of the tap blanks to the knife. Above the feed roll 61 is' located one of the top feed rolls 63, which is mounted on a shaft 64. This shaft 64-is supported in hearings in a feed roll'carrying plate 65. This plate is shown in plan in Fig. 3. Its corners are notched, as shown, so that the' plate is re- .ceived between the four posts 27 ,which rise from the webs 2 8'and 29. The outboard end of the shaft 64 is received in a hole in the lower end of the outboard bearing carrier 66, the shank of whichis carried in a bracket 67, secured to the frame 13. A set screw 68 secures the part in adjusted position in the bracket 67.

The feed roll carrying plate65 is held from lateral movements by direct engagement with the post 27 above referred to. These posts 27 are provided with set screws 69, which take against surfaces of the plate,

by which the plate may be moved longitudinally in order to bring it in correct position with relation to the knife I Theplate 65 is adjusted vertically by means of eight adjusting screws 70, two above and two below each end of the plate, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 3. By loosening the set screw 68 holding the outboard bearing carrier 66, the feed roll carrying plate may be adjusted vertically to correct position with relation to the knife. Ifnnecessary, the set screws 69 may be loosened to facilitate this adjustment. The plate 65 carries rearward bosses 71 and 72, which are provided with holes to form bearings to'receive. the feed roll drive shaft 73. This drive shaft is provided with bevel gears 74, 75 and 76, which mesh with bevel gears 77, 78 and 79. The

bevel gear 77 is on the rear end of the drive shaft 64, and through it power is applied to the feed roll 63. A- sprocket shaft 80 is mounted in a bearing'in the boss 72 and a bearing in the plate itself. This is connected by bevel gears 81 and 82 with the shaft 73. On the rear end of the shaft 80 is a sprocket wheel 83, from which a sprock-- et chain 84 runs to the sprocket wheel '85 on the shaft 52, and by" this means poweris feed roll 63. These feed rolls 86 and 87 are supported upon shafts 88 and 89, respectively, carried in the bearings in the eed plate 65 parallel-to the shaft 64. The rear ends of these shafts 88 and89 carry the bevel gears 78 and 79 heretofore referred to, and the shaft 73 is thereby connected with them to drive these feed rolls.

The first top feed roll shaft 64, and the single bottom feed roll shaft 61, are provided with intermeshing gears 96 and 97, by which the top shaft. 64 drives the lower shaft 61.

. The relations of the several top feed rolls 63, 86 and 87, to the belt B and the bottom feed roll 60, and of all of these to the knife K and the table 35, are well illustrated in Fig. 4, which shows the several rolls in crosssection, and the knife as separate from the knife shaft upon which it is carried.

The feed roll carrier 65 is provided on the left hand side of the feed roll 63 with a guard plate 90, secured to the bracket 91, in turn mounted on the feed plate, as shown in Fig. This guard plate protects the hand of the operator from accidental engagement with the feed roll 63.. A gauge 92 has a vertical member against which the shank edgeof the blank is adapted to be placed in order to correctly positionthe tap blank for presentation to the 'rolls. This gauge 92' has a horizontal foot provided with slots and screws 93, which pass through these slots and screw into a plate 94, so as to secure the gauge in place on the plate. The level of this plate is a little below the level of the top of the belt B, and it is supported on an car 95 which is cast integral with the pedestal or bracket 62. i

The operation of the machine is as follows: The two power belts by which the machine is driven are setv in motion, and thereby the feed belt and feed rolls are actuated and the knife K is caused to rotate. The operator takes a tap'blank and places it on top of the belt, with its shank edge against the gauge 92, and presses it gentlyv upon the, belt B, which thereby carries it in between the top feed roll 63'and the belt B, which thereby feed the tap along to the .right, as shown in Fig. 3. The shank porend of the beltB at the right hand end of the machine.

Having thus described the invention,

what is claimed is:

1. A tap splitting mechine having a disk knife and means for rotating it, ta feeding means comprising a travelling be t, and a,

feed roll pressing the tap against'the belt to carry the ta past the knife.

2.." A tap sp itting machine having, in combination, a knife, means for driving it, a feed belt, a top belt and extending beyond it, and a bottom feed roll extendin from the edge of the belt to the end 0 the top feed roll, said knife entering the space between the top and bottom feed rolls and acting, as the tap is fed in between the top feed roll on the one side, and the belt and bottom feed roll on the other side, to of the tap transversel 3. A tap splitting machine having, in combination, a knife, means for rotating it, a table, a feed belt on the table, a plurality of top feed rolls cooperating with the feed belt to grip the tap to feed it tothe knife, the first feed roll being longer than the others and extending beyond the edge of the belt, and a bottom feed roll extendlng from the edge of the belt to theend of the first top feed roll, and cooperating with each feed roll located above the split the shank portion.

other correctly tap to the knife.

4. 1A tap splitting machine having, in combination, a knife, tap feeding means comprising a table, a feed belt resting on the table, a plurality of top feed rolls supported in a feed roll carrying plate, the feed rolls and belt cooperating to feed the tap blank to the knife, means for holding the feed roll carrying plate in position comprising stationary posts and means for adusting the feed roll plate vertically, feed roll drivingmeans comprising a feed roll drive shaft mounted on the late, bevel gears connecting the shaft wit the rolls, and sprocket gearing for driving the feed roll driving shaft, thereby permitting vertical movement of the plate without impair ment of the power drive connections.

to present the shank of the 5. A tap splitting machine having, in

combination, a base, a frame supported on the base, a knife carryin frame provided with a bearing for a vertical knife shaft, a knife shaft mounted in said bearing, a disk knife carried by the knife shaft, feeding means for feeding taps to the knife compris ing a short roll and a travelling belt mounted'in fixed position on the frame of the machine, "a plurality of feed rolls, a feed roll carrying plate for carrying said feed rolls, having provision for vertical adjustment, and means for actuating the feed rolls and plate to feed the tap blanks to the knife.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

. JOHNFV DONNELLY. 

